The Sun, Stars, and Harvest Moon
by catchtheestars
Summary: For Piper, starting over isn't always easy. (A Tale of Two Towns) (OC x Cam)
1. Chapter 1

"So this is Berryblue Farm."

Piper glanced around the farm but it was too dark to see anything; the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains and there was barely any phone service in the area. Piper had taken a taxi from the city to the countryside but ended up walking to her grandfather's farm because the taxi couldn't make it to the mountains. Piper was exhausted and sweaty from the trek but she willed herself to take the final steps to the farmhouse. Luckily, the key easily fit into the doorknob and the light switch was right by the door.

The farmhouse was small and humbly furnished with three couches, a round dining table with three stools, and a stocked kitchen. The living room was wide and spacious and the open kitchen was straight ahead while a hall on the left led to the bedroom and the bathroom. Piper liked how there were windows all around the house. She stepped inside and shut the door, sighing with relief as she peeled off her sneakers and plopped onto the ground. She took out the letter she had received a few weeks ago and read it again,

"Dearest Piper,

Happy 20th birthday! Your grandfather and I are so happy and proud that you've grown to become a beautiful and responsible woman.

As you may know, your grandfather and I are getting older and we're not as strong as we used to be. It's getting harder to tend to the animals and endure the weather on the farm. To put things simply, your grandfather and I have agreed that we are leaving the farm to you!

This may be sudden (please don't be angry with us!) but could you move in to the farm next Friday? Your grandfather and I are retiring and we are preparing to move in with your Aunt Lisa in Golden City.

We will leave the house as is to you. We will sell our livestock so that you can have some money to start off with and so that you can start anew. Wishing you the best of luck, dear!

Sincerely,

Grandma and Grandpa."

Piper tucked the letter back into her purse and got up to go to the bedroom. The bedroom was bigger than Piper imagined it to be and she was glad that her grandparents left behind their queen-sized bed. Piper could tell that the blankets and bed sheet were brand new. With a yawn, Piper climbed into bed and decided that she would process her thoughts in the morning after she woke up.


	2. Chapter 2

Piper wasn't pleased to be woken up in the early morning by a loud obnoxious knock on the door. Wiping the drool from her mouth, Piper trudged to the front door and, without bothering to check who it was, swung the door open.

"Can I help you?" She asked grumpily.

The man blinked, surprised by Piper's unkempt appearance, but he recovered quickly.

"You must be Piper Corvalis, Farmer Gary and Delia's granddaughter. I'm the mayor of Bluebell, Rutger. We're glad to have you with us."

Piper blushed in embarrassment and tried to fix her appearance. Her hair was messy and she had fallen asleep in her dirty clothes.

"Oh. Excuse my appearance; I'm not used to waking up so early."

Piper looked around for a clock and saw one hanging in the kitchen; it was barely six in the morning.

"It's quite alright. You'll get used to it. Anyway, I'm here to give you a tour of our town. Are you ready?"

"Sure."

Berryblue Farm was actually quite wide and spacious. Now that it was morning, Piper could see everything clearly. To the left of the house were the chicken coops and to the right was a large red barn with double doors. The barn was connected to a wide grassy area that was perfect for grazing and lounging around. The worn dirt path led from Berryblue farm to the entrance of Bluebell Town, which was reminiscent of an old but quaint European village. The most interesting thing was the statue in the town square; it was an image of a chicken on top of a sheep on top of a cow.

Rutger introduced Piper to many of the residents as he pointed out their stores. Grady and Georgia were a father - daughter pair who owned a pet store and a horse ranch. Jessica and her kids, Ash and Cheryl, owned an animal shop that sold livestock as well as animal feed and animal medicine. Howard and his daughter Laney ran the café and Cam lived with them while running his own flower shop. Enrique and Diego owned the general goods store while their brother Raul owned the general goods store in Konohana; Piper learned that they were triplets. Eileen was the resident carpenter who lived by the town hall and Rose, Rutger's wife, kindly greeted Piper with a pouch of homemade chocolate chip cookies and a handmade outfit.

Piper was exhausted by the time she got home. Jessica had given her a cow and chicken as a welcoming gift and Howard gave her some cooking utensils as a housewarming gift. Now, standing in her kitchen, Piper stared at the stove and wondered how she was going to cook dinner. Luckily, she found a cook book in one of the kitchen cabinets and she successfully put together a caprese salad. With a sad sigh, as she ate her salad, Piper wondered how she was going to survive in the countryside.


	3. Chapter 3

"You know, when I first moved here, I was afraid to make friends. I thought everyone would make fun of my accent."

"Really? But I think your accent is the highlight of your charms, Georgia."

"Aw, thanks, Piper. That's mighty sweet of you."

Piper smoothed the skirt of her new outfit as she listened to Georgia rant about her rivalry with Kana from Konohana. Piper was wearing the outfit that Rose made for her, which was a yellow off-the-shoulder dress that fell just below her knees and a red halter top vest with three buttons on the front, and Piper paired it with lace - up boots she'd brought from home. She wondered if and where she could get new clothes that were appropriate for farming.

"You know, Georgia, if I didn't know better, I'd say that from the way you're talking, you seem rather fond of Kana." Laney noted.

"I agree." Piper chirped.

Georgia blushed,

"That's downright ridiculous!"

Laney brought over a tray filled with three plates of cutely-decorated strawberry cheesecake slices and she brought over another tray that held a tea set.

"Ta-da! My dad made this; it's the newest item on the menu. Try it!"

The cheesecake was smooth and delicious and the flower tea perfectly complimented the taste of the cheesecake.

"Laney, you know how to bake, right?" Piper asked.

"I do. What's up?"

"Could you teach me? I'm getting tired of eating salad..."

Laney and Georgia laughed as Piper blushed in embarrassment.

"You're so cute, Piper!"

"Why don't you stop by tomorrow afternoon, Piper? You can help me make lunch for dad and Cam. I believe the best way to learn is by taking the hands-on approach."

Piper's eyes lit up.

"Really! Thanks, Laney!"

"No problem. I'm sure Cam would love to help out, too. Right, Cam?"

Said boy was doing his best to slip past the girls as he carried a bucket full of fresh flowers from the cool storage room.

"I'm busy," he said before disappearing out the door.

Cam was a mysterious sort of guy. He was calm, sometimes cold, and often quiet, which was quite the opposite of his best friend, Ash. Well, Piper wasn't sure if they were best friends but Ash said they grew up together so Piper took his word for it. Piper couldn't help but watch Cam from the café window as Cam set up his shop; Laney and Georgia's voices were buzzing in her ear.

Cam's eyes were focused as he pre-made some bouquets and set them on the cloth covered table while he set the buckets of flowers in the shade. He smiled softly at his work and exhaled, satisfied with his effort.

"Piper? Are you listening?"

Georgia's voice brought Piper out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Laney laughed,

"Your first lesson starts tomorrow at noon, all right?"

Piper nodded and her heart pumped excitedly; she couldn't wait to eat her own cooking.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a few weeks since Piper moved to Bluebell Town. Slowly, but surely, she was adjusting. Piper woke up at five o'clock when her roosters crowed and she would get up, wash her face and brush her teeth, get dressed, and eat breakfast before leaving the house to tend to the farm. She fed her dog and cat, Jerry and Knight, before feeding herself. Piper tugged at a few strands of hair as she ate breakfast. When she first moved to Bluebell, her hair was an unnatural burgundy color but now, her roots were growing out and her natural chocolate brown hair was beginning to show.

The first part of Piper's farm chores started with brushing and milking the cows. She owned three cows-Delilah, Thea, and Shelly-and two calves, Fay and Sully. After taking care of the cows, Piper would then leave the barn doors open and let the cows graze for the rest of the day. She then let the chickens out of their coops and collected their eggs before filling their basin with chicken feed. Piper always made sure that her animals had plenty of water. Piper also began growing her own vegetable garden. Gombe from Konohana was kind enough to provide her with a few carrots, cabbage, and potato seeds to get her garden started.

After a morning of trekking the mountain for herbs and mushrooms, Piper came home with a basket filled with various species of herbs and mushrooms as well as bamboo and fish that she caught from the river. She also caught a butterfly and she was planning to give it to Cheryl as a token of friendship. Before heading home, Piper stopped by the general goods store to pick up some meat and spices for dinner. She was surprised to see Cam looking at cat bells.

"Hi, Cam. I didn't know you a had a cat."

Cam seemed embarrassed and he hastily put down the cat bell.

"I don't have a cat."

"Oh. Actually, I think my cat would like a bell. Could I see it?"

Cam quietly handed the bell to Piper and she thanked him.

"You have a cat?"

"I do. His name is Knight. He helps guard the chickens."

Cam chuckled softly,

"That's quite an ambitious cat."

Cam followed Piper around the store as she explored the aisles. Piper asked for a pound of pork and Enrique wrapped it up in parchment paper before accepting Piper's money. Cam held the store door open and Piper thanked him.

"Oh! I almost forgot! Cam, do you have any flower seeds for sale? I'm starting my own garden and I wanted to try growing flowers."

Cam was surprised by the excitement in Piper's voice but he couldn't say no to the small smile she was giving him.

"Sure. I'll give you some Bells of Ireland (1) seeds."

"Bells of Ireland? What's that?"

"They're beautiful but interesting flowers. I'm not sure how to describe them in a way that will do them justice. Don't worry, though, you'll see."

Cam and Piper walked to the café and Piper waited outside while Cam went into the flower room to fetch the seeds. A few minutes later, Cam reappeared with a paper packet and handed it to Piper.

"Thank you, Cam. You're a lot nicer than what Ash has been telling me."

Cam arched his brow.

"Ash?"

"Yeah, Ash. He comes by often to drop off feed and other goods. Why?"

"No reason."

Piper shrugged and Cam watched her walk away. He wondered if Ash needed help delivering animal feed next time.

* * *

><p>(1) Bells of Ireland symbolize good luck :) (got the info from google)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

As she leaned against the fence of gated area of the barn, Piper found her mind wandering back to her previous city life. She thought it was unfortunate that she could remember everything clearly. Jerry padded over and plopped down on her lap, whining for Piper to scratch his ears. Piper giggled and she kissed the top of his head before she did as he wanted.

"You know, Jerry, I'm glad I have you and Knight with me. I'd probably go crazy if I didn't have you two."

Jerry whined and looked up at Piper with puppy eyes. Piper laughed,

"It's not that I don't like it here. It's just that...without you guys, I would probably be bothered by my memories all the time."

Jerry whined and nuzzled Piper's arm.

Piper turned her eyes to the sky and sighed. If she were still in the city, she would probably still be living with her aunt's family and working to pay her share of the rent while her mother fooled around at the casino and accumulated more debt. Piper's father had divorced her mother and remarried and relocated. Piper's mother didn't have any other children and for that, Piper was thankful; she didn't want anyone to suffer. Receiving the letter from her grandparents was the best thing to happen to her in a long time. It was an easy decision to make and Piper was used to being alone; she didn't get along with her cousins.

Life in the country was literally a breath of fresh air.

"Piper!"

Laney and Georgia were walking towards her and Jerry sprang up to greet them.

"Howdy, Jerry! We didn't forget 'bout ya."

Jerry barked happily when Georgia popped a dog treat into his mouth and he escorted them to the house.

"Hi Laney and Georgia. What are you two doing here?"

"We just thought we'd come and visit."

"Oh. Okay. Well, come inside and we'll have some tea."

"Oh, Piper, your house is cute!"

"Thanks! It was originally my grandparents' house. They left it furnished for me."

There was a knock on the door and the girls wondered who it was.

"I'll get it," Piper said quickly.

She opened the door and saw Cam standing in the doorway with a bouquet and something wrapped in parchment paper.

"Cam, what a surprise!" Laney called from the kitchen.

Cam seemed embarrassed and he looked like he wanted to leave but he took a deep breath and held out the bouquet.

"It's a housewarming gift. I realized that I haven't visited you yet and you've already been here for three months."

Piper blinked; has it really been that long already?

"Thank you, Cam. That's very kind of you."

The bouquet was a beautiful mixture of baby blue and violet flowers with baby's breath as accents. Piper smelled the flowers and sighed; they smelled soft and delicate. Cam fidgeted with the parchment paper,

"Also...you told me you had a cat, right? Have you fed fish to it before? Fish is good for them."

Piper smiled as Cam handed the fish to her,

"I haven't fed fish to Knight before, but I'll give this to him for dinner tonight. Thank you, Cam. Anyway, why don't you come inside and have tea with us?"

"N-no, it's fine. I left the flower shop unattended so I have to go back."

"Oh, all right. You know, Cam, if you ever want to come play with Knight, you can stop by whenever you want."

Cam blushed but his eyes revealed his intrigue.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Cam waved before he walked away.

Laney and Georgia were smiling at Piper as she smiled at the bouquet. Piper was happy because she'd never received a bouquet from anyone before. She couldn't stop smiling as she put the bouquet into a vase filled with water.

"He's busy, huh?" Georgia teased.

"Well, he did say he left the flower shop unattended." Piper replied.

Laney giggled,

"Piper, today is Monday."

Piper shrugged at the information. Georgia rolled her eyes,

"Cam doesn't work on Monday. He usually goes off somewhere on his own on Mondays. It's unusual to see him visiting anyone."

The revelation made Piper blush and the girls laughed as Piper began blurting out excuses for Cam's unusual behavior.


	6. Chapter 6

Piper scratched her head as she flipped through the cook book for salad recipes. A raffle was drawn once every month and Piper's name was drawn to participate in the salad part of the cooking contest. Glancing over at her basket of fresh herbs, Piper decided that she would make an herb salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing.

There was a knock on the door and Piper wiped her hands before she went to open it. Piper was surprised to see Cam.

"Hi."

"Hey. Um...Laney told me to pick you up."

Piper was slightly confused but she invited Cam into her house.

"That's very nice of Laney to think of me, but I know where the cooking festival is."

Cam shrugged and stood awkwardly,

"That's what I said, too."

"Well, since you're already here, would you like something to drink?"

"No, it's fine."

Piper ignored him and poured a cup of orange juice for him. He reluctantly thanked Piper and she returned to putting together her salad.

Piper glanced back at Cam as he looked around, curious about his new surroundings. She noted that he was rather quiet.

"So," Piper said a little bit too loudly, "I decided to make an herb salad for the festival." Cam didn't reply, "I found lots of fresh herbs this morning while I was in the mountains. I also caught some fish. Knight really liked the fish you brought him."

"That's nice."

Piper jumped in surprise when Cam suddenly appeared beside her. She placed her hand over her heart while Cam simply arched his brow at her.

"Is it good?" He asked.

"I - I don't know. I haven't tried it yet."

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Cam wondered where he found the courage to do such a thing. Piper handed a fork to him and he grabbed a few leaves of the salad and popped it into his mouth. The salad was crisp and fresh and the dressing was tart and complimented the wild taste very well.

"It's good. I like it."

Cam's compliment made Piper smile from ear to ear.

"You really think so?"

Cam nodded and pointed to the clock. Piper gasped and hurriedly plated the salad and covered it before she and Cam left the house.

Laney and Georgia were grinning wickedly when they saw Cam and Piper arrive together.

"Laney, thank you for sending Cam to pick me up. I probably would've been late if he didn't come."

Laney was surprised,

"I didn't tell him to pick you up."

Georgia laughed and pulled Piper into a side hug,

"It seems like someone has a crush on you!"

Piper blushed but couldn't say anything more as the contestants were called to the stage. Konohana ended up winning the contest but there were no hard feelings, only celebrating.

Piper could feel the townspeople staring at her as Cam walked her home but Cam didn't seem to notice. The festival lasted all the way until sundown but Piper wasn't worried about her livestock; Jerry and Knight were diligent when it came to herding the animals back to the barn and the chicken coops.

"Thank you for today, Cam."

"For what?"

"For being my escort."

Cam was thankful that it was getting dark.

"I'm just trying to be friendly."

Piper and Cam stopped at the front of her door,

"Well, we should hang out sometime. Maybe on a Monday when you're not working."

Cam shrugged but he couldn't hide his smile as he walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

Cam stood silently as he watched Ash bury the calf in the woods. They made sure that the calf was buried far away from Berryblue Farm so so that any wild animals wouldn't bother Piper and her animals. Ash sighed as he and Cam made their way back down the mountain.

"She was a mess this morning," Ash said with a frown, "I feel really bad for her. It's the first time she's seen death up close. The calf died in its sleep overnight."

Cam nodded; he remembered the first time he encountered death when he saw a kitten drown.

Laney was brewing tea while Georgia held Piper in her arms. Piper was doing her best to calm down but her sobbing resumed after a few moments of sniffling.

"I was wondering why Delia was making so much noise this morning. When baby Devan wouldn't wake up...he was the first calf I helped bring into this world."

Piper started crying again.

"There, there, Piper darling, it'll be all right."

Everyone in the room could sympathize with Piper. It was a grim reminder that life wasn't all sunshine and butterflies.

Everyone left hours later but not before leaving words of advice and consolation. Cam couldn't sit still at home; he wondered if Piper was going to get through the night without nightmares. He hardly got any sleep that night.

The next morning, Cam put together a large bouquet and hurried over to Piper's farm. He knocked on the door but there was no answer so he decided to check in the barn. Sure enough, Piper was there, gently brushing Delia. Cam wasn't sure if he wanted to approach her; she seemed deep in thought.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect Devan, Delia. It seems like I'm no good after all..." Piper sighed, "Even before I came to Bluebell...I was no good. I was too ambitious and wanted too much. Because of that, my mother started gambling to pay off my school debt because I had accumulated too much. She won twice but after that...I had to quit school to pay off her debts. Now she's so deep into gambling that everyone left her. If I didn't want to much, things wouldn't have turned out this way."

Piper put the brush down and patted Delia's head. Piper's shoulders were trembling and Cam knew she was crying. She turned around and her face paled when she saw Cam standing at the entrance of the barn. She hurriedly wiped her tears.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

Piper was embarrassed. Did Cam hear what she said to Delia? Piper tried to smile,

"I'll make some tea for us."

She walked past Cam but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her from leaving.

"You think so lowly of yourself."

Piper frowned; so he did hear.

"How much did you hear?"

"Everything."

"Cam, you don't understand. I-"

Piper's eyes widened in shock when Cam leaned in towards her. Blushing, Cam pressed his fingers against her lips to silence her.

"You're perfect the way you are. You are not responsible for your mother's choices."

Piper's lip trembled and she whimpered, burying her face into Cam's chest as he held her tightly.


	8. Chapter 8

"Cam, what's your favorite color?"

Cam glanced at Piper and noted the warmth in her brown eyes,

"Brown."

"Huh? But it's such a boring color."

"Not if it's a warm brown. It's the color of the earth in which I plant flowers; it gives life."

Piper pouted,

"Well, if you put it like that, I can't say a say anything else."

Piper wondered why Cam was blushing.

Today was her day off from the farm so Piper decided to visit Cam at his flower shop. Cam sighed sadly; he hadn't been getting many customers and he needed to sell all his flowers.

"You know, Cam, you need to practice customer service."

"Customer service?"

"Yeah, like greeting your customers and stuff? When I went to the mall in the city, the stores' associates always greeted me and asked if I needed help."

"O-oh."

"It's the thought of being helpful, available, and attentive. That's what keeps customers coming back. Look, there's even a hand bell; let's use it."

Cam cringed at the sound of the ringing bell; Piper ringing it a little too enthusiastically.

Cam struggled to speak over the ringing bell,

"I don't think this is going to work!"

Piper grinned,

"You'd be surprised!"

Sure enough, Rutger came out from the town hall and he walked over to the shop. Piper nudged Cam and he shifted nervously,

"Welcome..."

Rutger smiled brightly,

"Hello, Cam and Piper! What are you two up to today?"

Cam glanced back at Piper and she gave him an encouraging smile. Cam took a deep breath and reminded himself that customer service was important.

After a few words of persuasion, Rutger decided to buy a bouquet of roses for Rose. Eileen was the next customer and she asked for a yellow flower wreath. Laney and Georgia stopped by for perfume and Ash came to buy a bouquet for his mother. Before the day was over, Cam had sold all his flowers and he was able to close the shop before the sun set.

"Thanks, Piper. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Piper blushed at Cam's smile but she shrugged casually,

"It was a good excuse to be with you today."

Cam and Piper blushed at her words; did she really say that out loud? Cam cleared his throat and offered to walk Piper home.

They walked home in silence but it was oddly comfortable. Piper glanced down as Cam's hand brushed against hers, lingering for a moment before pulling away and repeating the motion.

"What did you study when you went to school?" Cam asked.

"Business administration. I wanted to work for a big corporation and make my way up the corporate ladder until I made it to the top."

"What kind of business?"

"Stocks."

Cam nodded in understanding; he didn't like dealing with numbers.

"So school must've been really expensive."

Piper nodded and she was disappointed when they reached her doorstep too soon. She looked up at Cam with a hopeful glow in her eyes,

"Do you want to come in?" She asked.

Cam hesitated. If he had his way, he'd spend the entire night with Piper; there was so much more that he wanted to learn about her and he was sure that she felt the same.

It was strange; he'd never felt so sure about something so foreign before.

With a sigh, Cam tucked Piper's hair behind her ear and he let his hand slip down to cup her cheek; her skin was warm and soft. Cam groaned mentally; even if he was introverted, he was still a man.

"It's best if I don't."

"Why?"

Despite his introverted conscience yelling at him and sending him red flags, Cam leaned in and kissed Piper but he pulled away before she could respond. He was blushing but he smiled at Piper's cute expression.

"By the way, my favorite color is brown because it's the color of your eyes. Good night."

"Y-yeah...good night."

Piper watched Cam walk away until he disappeared from sight. She happily twirled into the house and patted her cheeks to make sure it hadn't been a dream. Jerry and Knight stared at her quizzically.

"The best thing in the world just happened to me, guys!"

The dog and cat yawned and turned their attention elsewhere. Piper giggled and went over to the front door when she saw a letter sitting on the ground. She wondered why she didn't notice it before. She was surprised to see that it was from her father. Piper quickly opened it and read it:

"To Ms. Corvalis,

After reviewing your transcript, we are proud to offer you a full ride to Fair Dream University to pursue the degree of your choice. We look forward to having you as a part of our team."

Piper's eyes widened. She could go back to school?


End file.
